Adventures in Brightvale Wisdom by ndfaerie
--------
Every day, hundreds of Neopians, from the toughest warrior from Shenkuu to the smallest JubJub from Mystery Island, line up outside of Brightvale Castle for a chance to share their wisdom with King Hagan, the intelligent ruler of the widely acclaimed kingdom of knowledge Brightvale, in hope of obtaining a prize, and most of all, respect.
Rose Lynn was no exception. An island Uni with a fiery spirit, she longed to meet the intelligent king and prove to him that Unis, although considered to be very vain, were indeed smart. A strong breeze blew from the south the day Rose decided to journey to Brightvale Castle, causing leaves from the golden, mahogany, and pumpkin colored autumn trees to swirl around in the air. The biting cold wind stung her cream colored, golden spotted fur, but she just tossed her green mane with blue flowers out of her face and pressed forward. After all, she thought, she hadn't spent all of the past few years studying so hard to give up now.
The pretty Uni grimaced as she remembered the bitter words her older sister, a spotted Uni, had stated when she began her intense studies.
"Unis don't study! And we don't care about knowledgeable words of wisdom to say to King Hagan. All we should care about is the newest product from Neoglo! So put down that book and spend your time doing more useful things!" Rose had been sitting in her favorite chair, reading Poetry for Peophins in their Brightvale cottage home, tucked deep in the peaceful forest. She shut the book, with a large thump and looked at her sister.
"I don't want to be a normal Uni!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to be the smartest Uni there ever was, and King Hagan will be happy to meet me. If it takes me forever, I'm going to expand my intelligence so that I can say something wise to the King." She was determined to be smart, and to be someone useful!
"Sierra's partially right," her older brother, William, a green Uni replied, as he gobbled some hot crossed buns. "There are many neopets more intelligent than you, and King Hagan is bound to appreciate them more. You might as well give up!"
Rose was furious. They didn't understand, did they? The mean remarks just forced her deeper and deeper into her studies and quest for knowledge.
Months passed as Rose devoured every single book she could possibly get her hooves on. The only time she was without a book was when she was sleeping, eating, and running the family store. Every title, any title – she read them all, from Blumaroo Love Stories to Algebra and even Not-So-Disgusting Dung Uses to 101 Calamari Recipes. With every book that vanished in a puff of colored smoke, she learned more and more and expanded to her knowledge.
Then, the day had finally come. Rose had finished her last book, and felt ready to impress King Hagan with her wisdom. She bade farewell to her siblings and began the five mile walk from the Brightvale forest to the castle, despite the cold weather.
Two hours later, Rose ascended the tall hill, which was the last obstacle before the city, and was met with a beautiful sight. Brightvale Castle stood as a strong barrier against the wind, and the hills surrounding the castle were dotted with shops and houses. Lights flickered in the stain glassed windows of Brightvale Glaziers and the smell of freshly made skeem jam wafted through the air as Rose made her journey to the gates of the castle. "This is it," she thought, "I'm finally going to do it! I am going to impress King Hagan with my wisdom." As she walked closer and closer to the gates, she noticed big groups of neopets gathering in front of the castle.
"Excuse me? Yeah you, Uni," a snippy red Quiggle with round glasses jeered. "The line starts back there!" He pointed his scraggly finger to the back of the line, which from where she was, seemed like an eternity back. Embarrassed, pink flushed her cheeks as she headed to her respected place in line.
Rose's eyes were opened to all of the other hopeful Neopians, hoping to get a prize from the famed king. Warriors from Altador, smart witches from the Haunted Woods, intelligent sea creatures from Maraqua, hard working magma pets from Moltara... almost every kind of neopet imaginable was lined up, hoping, waiting for their meeting with King Hagan.
Rose took her respected spot at the end of the line, which was about two miles away from the gates. Six hours passed as she impatiently waited, nervous for her chance to finally meet King Hagan. The Kreludan moon, high in the sky, was full when it was finally her turn to meet the king.
"Are you ready to see the king or what?" Rose snapped her attention back to the castle guard, a Gelert knight. He led her into the tall entryway where King Hagan sat on his throne, raking his chubby green Skeith fingers through his blonde beard.
"Well... hurry up," he said grumpily, "I've been waiting for my dinner. Regardless of what these neopets seem to think, I have to eat too." Rose stood there complete shock, at loss for words, literally. She had not even thought about what she was going to say! Words jumbled in her head as she tried to distinguish something, anything, that could make enough sense to King Hagan and sound very smart. "You know a friend once told me that pride is like..." she started, saying the words faster than a neopet running from the pant devil. The wise King just leaned back in his chair and put his chin in his hand, acting as if he had heard this "wisdom" a thousand times. "Go on, please," he mumbled. Rose thought about it. She was going to have to say something that no other neopet thought of before, and it had to be something that he didn't know. Well what didn't he know? She thought long and hard, and came up with a crazy saying. She swallowed hard. Well, he would either like it, or he would not like it. But all Rose knew was that, she had not spent all this time studying to turn back now.
"What I mean to say is," she started, voice trembling, "is that wisdom is something that can't be, well, it's never complete. It's something that we have to acquire, and it's safe to say that no one, not even you, will ever completely obtain. It takes patience and time, and you sometimes have to go against what others may think of you to obtain it. I say neopets that never accept their wisdom as complete, and continue on their endless quests for knowledge are indeed the wisest."
Rose caught her breath, and her knees began to shake. Hagan looked at her in awe. He reached inside a drawer from a nearby table and pulled out a thick book.
"I must say, that is one of the best pieces of wisdom I have ever heard." He handed her the green book covered in golden chains. He winked at her. "Use this wisely, young neopet."
Rose looked at the cover. The Grimoire of Affluence? It couldn't possibly be... She smiled, and whispered a quick thanks to the king and headed home, bubbling with excitement over her prize.
"What are you going to do with it!" Sierra shouted, putting her paws all over it, her eyes wide, as if she just saw the ghost Lupe. "You could sell it for so much! We're rich, rich, RICH! Imagine, us being fine, notable Neopians..."
Rose smiled.
A look of dread washed over Sierra's face.
"I'm going to read it. After all, you can never stop learning and trying." She smiled, then went to her favorite reading chair and began to read.
The End
|